A Lot Can Change In An Instant...

Two and a half months ago, I blogged about our anniversary...how can it happen in an instant that everything, our whole world changes?  I know this to be true and have seen it with the birth of our boys and lots of other life experiences but now, it is really REAL.

I had made a goal to start blogging again this year, mostly because I rarely write in a journal and this seemed the best place to chronicle our family adventures.  Little did I know it would become a place for friends, family and MEDIA to eventually find information about what we'd been up to shortly before Matt's accident.

Soon, I will share more about that terrible, awful day.
Today, I just want to say thank you to all of our friends and family and even strangers who have helped us during this difficult time.  There are more difficult times ahead, too, so keep us in your thoughts and prayers...I rely on them daily.

Happy Anniversary!

This week, Matt and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary which seems so crazy!  I can remember driving to the Orlando Temple together, on our way to be sealed for time and all eternity, like it was last week!  Seriously!  Now...we have three amazing boys who have brought us the happiest and craziest times of our lives!

This was one of our 'candid' engagement shots.

And this was a few months after we were married.

 And just last September...

I have learned so much about myself, Matt and sacrifice in the last 14 years!  We have had major ups and major downs and each and everyone of those peaks and valleys has taught me something.  I can't wait to see what the next 14 years and more brings to us!

New 'Hood Different Day!

I know this isn't exactly a news flash to most of you but we moved...again. We now call Casper, Wyoming home...and I get a lot of people asking me how we like it.  It has its pluses and minuses like most places but there are two huge reasons why this was a good move for us at this time.  First, Matt is home 90% of the time.  This is a MAJOR change...last year, he was home 30% of the time which was NOT FUN and late last year, it bumped to 55%, which was an improvement but still hard on the family.  Having him around more has made all the difference for me and the boys.  I tell people that we could really live anywhere as long as we are a full-time family and this really proves it for us!  

Second BONUS for moving here was Quinton's schooling.  His teacher in Utah was competent enough but that's about it.  Quinton and his teacher just did not mesh well AT.ALL. Quinton went from being a happy-go-lucky kid in the 1st grade to a stressed-out "behavior problem" kid in the 2nd!  Now I think Matt being gone was a small factor in that but really, it was the conflict between Q and his teacher.  I got the school counselor involved and was working so hard with Quinton but everyday was a struggle and it broke my heart to see Q come home with his head down every single school day.  I was really struggling to know what to do when this move came up and I saw it as a GREAT opportunity to resolve the situation.  Fast-forward two months in his new school...and his attitude has done a 180 degree turnaround!  His new class size is almost HALF of what it was in Utah and his new teacher praises him so much more and it's working!  Not once has Quinton come home with a note about his behavior!  He is HAPPY when I pick him up and he is THRIVING in his new school!  Another major bonus is that his teacher does not CLING to the Common Core standards and is genuinely TEACHING to the kids and not AT them!  What a difference this makes!  We were doing 2 hours of homework a night in Utah...here it's 15 minutes!!!  In Utah, he had to read a "school" book three times a day and turn it in....here, he can choose any book he likes and needs to read it a minimum of 20 minutes a day.  Subsequently, he has finished his first 100+ page chapter book ON HIS OWN and even wrote the author a letter telling her how much he loved her book!  I can't say enough what a blessing this move has been for our family!

But for me, it feels like another move...same life just different scenery.  I love to meet new people but I am also tired of it, know what I mean?  It's exhausting starting all over again and again and again!  Just this week, I have FINALLY signed the boys up for activities!  It has been a nice two months not shuttling kids anywhere but they really need the activity and I need the distraction.  Another Casper bonus: I signed Sawyer and Quinton up for Ice Hockey lessons!  Ha, ha!  They love ice skating with Matt!  I am way too chicken...remember, I grew up in Florida!

I'm not sure if anyone checks this blog anymore but I rather like keeping it as our family journal!

Spring Time

Apparently, I take a few pictures even though I haven't put much up on the blog...but my little helper has noticed and was saying CHEEEEESE while trying to take my picture in this picture!

 

I swear I have seen this face before....try twice more...Gavin looks so much like his brothers! I can't get enough of this kid's giggle and he is always so happy to see me in the morning!

 Sawyer turned three in April which is so hard to believe!  I love this spastic kid of mine!  He tries my patience but he has the biggest heart so it's hard to be mad with him for very long.  A hug or kiss from this kid makes my day! 

Recently, I've noticed that his language hasn't been progressing so we're trying some learning programs to help him with this and work on his social skills as well.  Sawyer has very definite opinions about things and people and heaven help you if he doesn't like you!!!

That's all for now...time to try and sneak in a nap...

Where Have All The Harkers Gone?

We are still here!

Seriously.

I promise.

Alive and well...but busy!

 

I can't believe it's been since August that I blogged but it's true and if anyone is still checking this page...well, thank you for being faithful!

 

I don't think I will attempt to make note of everything that has happened in the past 6.5 months but I want to mentionThe passing of one of the world's best Granddads there has ever been!  My mom's dad, Grandpa Gardner, passed away in November.  It was hard for me because I have been lucky enough to have 3 of my grandparents still living and the older I get, the harder it is to let go of some of the most loving and generous people in my life. 

All of that being said, I know he is much happier not being held back by physical limitations in this life.

I love you Grandaddy!

 

Quinton is a smart 1st grader with a bit of attitude for his mom but is always quick to hug me and will always be my first baby!

Sawyer at two and a half is affectionately known as the "destroyer" because he is all about finding out how things work and then making them not work anymore...yep, that about sums him up!

 

Sweet, sweet baby Gavin is already 6 months old!  I can barely believe it but I have the baby weight to prove it, LOL!  He is a very sweet baby and despite my desire to break our "Harker Boy Mold", he seems to ahve come straight from it!  We all love to hug and kiss and squeeze those sweet baby cheeks!

I know this may be a lame attempt at an update but Gavin is already awake and Sawyer...well, he's doing Sawyer-ly things that I have to put an end to before someone gets hurt!



The Big Move of July 2012!

I know I am way behind on blogging but I have to plead my case as a mostly single-mom who is ginormously pregnant (36 weeks tomorrow) and just lacking in time and energy...oh well!

Back to our big move!

Mobile to Lehi, Utah and our new house, which I LOVE but sometimes feels like the movie Money Pitt with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.  Everything looks nice and new on the surface but sometimes, when you use it or touch it, it falls apart!  For example, we have a cute mailbox but it was pretty wobbly on it's stand.  It finally fell off it's stand this week and Matt is out of town for two weeks so I had to figure out how to re-mount it in 100 degree heat...little stuff like that keeps popping up.  I still enjoy our new house but home ownership is HARD!

The moving truck being unloaded:

At least the boys were easy to find that first day moving in!  They LOVE the backyard!

 My super awesome dad drove down from Idaho to help us move!  I think he entertained the kids more than he unpacked but hey, it takles a village!  This is the garage...I wish I could say it looks less full of boxes but it doesn't....I am too pregnant at this point to have any desire to move ALL of this stuff in the house!  I venture out here once in a blue moon...mostly for baby stuff...but not too often!

 I wanted to throw in some pictures of the boys from 4th of July.  We had such a fun day and ended it spending time with Matt's parents...not bad for a crazy couple of weeks!

 Here's Q, playing with his sparklers!  Check out those mountains behind him!

I know it may not seem like a lot but it took 2 trips to the bathroom, a sippy cup refill, a fight break-up and some additional refereeing to get this blog post up!  Crazy, I know!

Better Pictures of the New House!

Whew!  I found more pictures of the house online so I thought I'd share since a few people wanted to see the trampoline buried in the backyard!

This is a view of the side yard with cute little pergola and raised bed garden with sprinkler system.  My dad and nieces and nephew went by the house today and called me from it...my dad is ready to start planting the gardens before we even get there!

 Here is a view of the backyard from the opposite side of the sideyard above.  I really like the look of the stamped concrete deck in the back.

 This is the front room again but Matt tells me there is a great view of the mountains from that front window...I can't wait!

 This is still the front room from the fireplace looking out to the hallway/dining area.  The sellers put a flat screen on that far wall with benches in front but I have already been pinning ideas on Pinterest to put a nice coat/cubby system here since the house doesn't have a real mudroom.

 This is one of the bathrooms...I am not actually sure if this is upstairs or downstairs in the basement but I am guessing it's the basement bathroom.

 I like this view of the kitchen because from here, it looks like it's a nice wide space to work in and cook!  I like the white kitchen so much, I am having a friend at Tin Barn Creations repaint our wood dining set!  The table will be a nice pale yellow and the chairs will be creamy off-white.  I am really excited to see how it will all fit together!

 This is the little office nook in the kitchen.  I can just picture Quinton sitting here whining about doing his homework!

 I think this is the upstairs guest bathroom.  I love the high end tile finishes!

 And one of my favorites, this is the master bathroom!  It is not one of the biggest we saw during our house hunt but I LOVE the tub with the chandelier above it and all of the nice tile finishes in the bathroom.

 This is the shower...nice!  I'm thinking a glass door would look a lot better than the curtain, though.

 The tilework at the base of the shower...

 Looking into the master bedroom from the bathroom.  One of the fun surprises is that little grey rectangle in the bottom right of the picture is a laundry shoot!  How cool is that???

 The master closet...I may need to store some stuff in the basement closets but it'll be nice and roomy, I think.

 The media room in the basement.  The sellers are leaving the black sectional and the surround sound!  I can't wait to have movie nights in this house!!!

 The laundry room: The sellers had TWO sets of stackables in this laundry room...too bad they took them with them!  I am excited for the nice shelving though for sorting clean and folded laundry!

 A better look at the shelving in the laundry room.

 One of the basement bedrooms that actually looks like it gets pretty good light.

 The raised garden beds that my dad is all ready to plant!

 The famed buried trampoline which Alabamans have a hard time picturing, I think because of the water table here.  If you did this in Mobile, it would be full of rain water most of the time!

And that is the tour for now!  I am glad I found the rest of the pictures online so I can keep a good vision of it in my mind.  We are madly packing and getting ready!

Matt leaves tomorrow for another two week stint in Alaska so I am bracing myself for a crazy two weeks.  Wish me luck, though!